John Burnside — The Locust Room

Random House UK 2001 Paperback, 224pp. The finest and most disturbing novel yet from the author of The Dumb House and The Mercy Boys. Twenty-five years ago a rapist stalked the streets of Cambridge attacking young women and subjecting them to violent assaults. These events form the background to this extraordinary novel in which circumstances force a young male photographer to examine his relations with women, and with other men. Over one dramatic summer, he becomes involved in a series of sexual intrigues as he journeys towards self-definition. What emerges from an atmosphere of tension and terror is a moving examination of male tenderness, individual autonomy and personal grace. Review copy. (ISBN: 9780224052924). Very Good.